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Ajman’s China Mall opens today

AJMAN - The Dh300 million China Mall, a dedicated retail and wholesale market for Chinese products, is set for soft opening on Monday (Oct 25) in the Ajman Free Zone.

The Mall has been established by Gulf Chinese Trading Corporation which has shareholders from the Gulf region as well as from European and Chinese companies.

The more than Dh2 billion offerings by the super large China Mall for wholesale, retail sale and procurement in the Middle East, Africa, and CIS countries include a variety of best selling Chinese commodities such as furniture, building materials, textile, jewellery, household, electronics, hardware, auto parts, machinery etc.

The Mall is housed in 13 buildings with a built up area of 120,000 sq metres and a total project area of 300,000 sq. metres.

Of the 13 buildings, four interconnected buildings having 1,000 outlets (250 in each building) are reserved for retail business. A large service area of 5,000 sq metres offering financial and insurance services in addition to a variety of restaurants is linked to the retail section. Wholesale business is offered by 400 outlets in eight buildings. Four of the buildings are for wholesale business in building material and another four buildings are for wholesale business in furniture. One building is being used as a warehouse.

The building material includes lighting, flooring and ceiling, doors and windows and their accessories, and kitchens and bathrooms. The furniture section meets the requirements of residences, offices, hotels and gardens, in addition to offering items like mattresses etc.

Customer parking is being readied for more than 2000 vehicles. A residential area with 500 rooms has also been provided for the people working in 
the Mall.

Adnan Dahnous, director of Gulf Chinese Trading Corporation, told Khaleej Times that the idea to set up a mall 
for Chinese products in Ajman was initiated in 2007 and was followed by series of seminars in China to introduce the idea.

Dahnous is an architect with a vast experience of businesses. He moved from Saudi Arabia to the UAE in 1993.

“We have received full support from the Ajman government, as the Mall will benefit people here, and from the Chinese government, as it wants its people to go out and promote Chinese products and their country,” Dahnous said.

He said that the Mall’s retail area of 1,000 shops is full while they are very selective about companies in the wholesale section to avoid duplication of products and to offer quality products. “We want to have a full range of products for our customers,” he said.

He said that negotiations are underway with the governments of Shenzhen and Guangzhou provinces as well as that of Hong Kong which want to take up large wholesale space for a permanent exhibition of Chinese building material and furniture products.

Dahnous is confident that China Mall will be successful as it offers several advantages to its customers.

For instance, it has designated areas for retail and wholesale business; the prices of the products are low because the rents are low at around Dh30,000 per annum; the location of the Mall at the Ajman Free Zone is convenient for the buyers as it is linked to the Emirates Road while an under-construction road will soon connect it directly with Emirates Road. People from Dubai, Sharjah, Northern Emirates, as well as from Oman can easily access the Mall.

“People are looking for quality products at an affordable price. They also want to go out and dine,” Dahnous said. The soft opening on Monday will take place at 10 am with 500 outlets in two of the four retail halls ready for business. Visitors on Monday and Tuesday can enjoy Chinese cultural performances from 7 pm to 9 pm.

The Mall’s opening hours will be from 10 am to 10 pm.

The grand official opening of the Mall is scheduled for November 22.

business@khaleejtimes.com